Does poverty reduction involve harmony or conflict?
Ms. Oyen stressed that poverty reduction involves conflict, while she often sees analysis and approaches mistakenly based on the assumption of harmony. In my view, we need to think about poverty reduction as involving both harmony and conflict. It would be naïve to think that decisions about the distribution of resources would not involve potential conflict (as any debate about budget allocation naturally tends to do, whether in national budget discussions, in family feuds about inheritances, etc.). The key question is whether the legal, judicial and political framework and culture are such as to permit a process of predictable, peaceful and fair resolution of the conflict. At the same time, it is important to look for win-win solutions and to appeal to the enlightened self-interest and altruism in people. By looking at who are the winners and the losers of policies, looking to make sure that the winners are aware of their gains and support the change, while also helping the losers adj
